


Player 2

by Meteorga (orphan_account)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arcades, F/F, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-23
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-10 18:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4403438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Meteorga
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neptune's always been King of the Arcade. It's become his home away from home, and the part-time job that felt like his saving grace. Sun becomes his latest challenger, and the determination and energy in this boy's eyes are unlike anything Neptune has ever seen. And yet, It's somehow familiar. Perhaps, he could learn to share this digital Kingdom of his...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of (hopefully) my first developed AU. Stemming from a brainstorm with my best friend Keeli. I plan to update frequently, so keep an eye out!

The dim lighting of the arcade helped the piercing, dark-blue eyes of Neptune Vasilias glaze upon the screen of his favorite fighting machine. He was seventeen years old, and a charismatic boy who had been offered a job here a little less than a year ago. The boy had been a regular here since he was fifteen, and in that time he had become a friend to nearly all who visited the digital wonderland. Neptune had even been promoted to assistant manager in the past month, and he couldn’t foresee things getting any better for him.

Perhaps he spent a little too much time within these walls, and he surely enjoyed the escape off work hours. Not that his mother would care, in fact, he wondered if she even noticed. It wasn’t that he thought she hated him, and she had never done anything to abuse him directly. However, Neptune had grown up feeling glanced over and ignored, like a dirty splotch on the living room wall. He couldn’t outright blame his mother, surely the light in her eyes left the same time his father did. She was more than delighted when he found himself a job that he loved, but part of him wished she would just stop for a moment and really notice him. She hadn’t even said anything when he dyed his hair some form of electric blue.

His fingers danced around a joystick, inputting commands he had memorized long ago. His on-screen character delivered devastating combo after combo, crushing anyone who dared to challenge his crown on the number one spot within the scoreboards. Nobody had really caught his eye in quite some time, and he was about to abandon his place at the machine to swap places with the cute girl working the ticket counter. Until a dash of messy blond hair caught his eye, sticking out from behind a pinball machine. He would have guessed the boy were hiding, though he had no idea why.

“Can I help you?” Neptune inquired, with a tilt of his head and a raise of his brow.

 The male behind the machine seemed to stiffen, running his right hand through his spiked locks. A band-aid kissed at his skin every few meters. “I, uh… Just wondered if I could play with you,” The blond raised his gaze, flashing a nervous grin. “I got tokens!” Another small band-aid laid upon his left cheek.

 Neptune smiled, nodding his head. “Why not?”

 The boy walked over excitedly, exhaling a breath that must have withheld his relief after every time he had run this very scenario through his own head. “The name’s Sun.” He said, bending to insert two coins within the machine’s second slot.

 “Neptune. S’nice to meet’cha.” The blue-haired boy replied, highlighting his favorite character before he turned his gaze towards Sun. “I’ve seen you here a lot. How come you’ve never asked for a match before?”

 “Thought about it,” Sun answered, flicking his select cursor back and forth absentmindedly, unsure of who the choose. “I’ve never really talked to anybody else here. Didn’t think I’d actually be able to talk to you…” The blond scratched behind his ear, pressing a button to select the fighter he thought looked the coolest.

 “How come?” Neptune asked, releasing the joystick as the timer on-screen for choosing a stage reflected off his cool, blue eyes.

 “Y’just… Seem a little intimidating, I guess?” Sun answered, almost instantly regretting it. Neptune reached for his own joystick again and the blond was surprised to feel himself tense. “Also, I’ve never touched a fighting game in my life.”

 The taller male laughed briefly, covering his mouth to stop in case he seemed rude. “Look, man, I haven’t got an intimidating bone in my entire body.” Neptune flashed a grin, pushing the cherry red stick backwards twice to make his character dash away from Sun’s. This amateur had just unfortunately challenged the King of the Arcade, but instead of wanting to stomp him quick to make the whole effort as painless as possible, Neptune felt his lips move instead.

 “It’s simple,” Neptune coached. “You have four buttons, each representing a high and low kick or punch. If you string them together, you can do combos and special moves.”

 Sun watched in mild amazement, a grin on his face once more. Neptune noticed every time the boy smiled, wondering for a moment if that were in fact his resting face.

 “Just watch.” Neptune said, shortly before unleashing a couple inputs. He entered them slowly, emphasizing exactly what he was doing for Sun’s benefit. The blond’s avatar hit the ground, his life bar having been completely depleted. Neptune glanced for any trace of him being upset, instead being met with awe.

 “That was awesome, dude!” Sun yelled, his face falling once he realized that the fight were over and his pockets were empty of all tokens for a rematch. He was about to turn and leave until he felt Neptune’s hand clasp over his shoulder.

 “Hey, man, that was just a demonstration,” Neptune pulled out a couple tokens from his back pocket. “Take these. We’ve got some training to do.”

Sun beamed widely, taking his station once more and startling himself when he noticed the reflection of the small crowd within the arcade that had gathered to watch them. Perhaps Neptune had never shown mercy to anyone before, and if that were the case, Sun suddenly found himself feeling quite special.

 “You picked Jaxon, and he’s primarily a throw character,” Neptune explained, speaking with such gentleness in his tone that Sun found it impossible to make fun of him for being a know-it-all. “Your moves mostly chain by tossing your opponent around, making it hard for them to fight back and easy for you juggle them. You follow?”

 Sun nodded.

 The two boys sat there, fighting round after round. Each time, Sun grew a little more adept in his motions. He even managed to catch Neptune off-guard, delivering an admittedly sloppy punishment when the male forgot to block.

 “So, what’re you here so often for? What do you usually play?” Neptune asked, rubbing tired eyes as the K.O. font burned into his vision.

 “Usually the shooters, sometimes even that crazy dancing game.” Sun laughed, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. “This place is better than being at home.” He answered honestly, and for a moment, Neptune was caught off-guard.

 “I know what you mean.” The blue-haired manager replied, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Shit, it’s almost closing. I’ve got some cleaning up to do before I lock up, but I’ll see you around, okay?”

 Sun felt his heart drop a bit as he watched his new coach leave, but he gathered his bag that was filled to the brim with school books and headed out of the arcade doors. His bike was chained clumsily to the rack, and as he freed it and began his pedaling home, he replayed most of the day within his head. He wondered how he ever had the courage to ask the cute assistant manager for a game, knowing full-well how much of a beast he was at it. He wondered even more whether Neptune noticed the way his eyes fell on _him_ more than they did the screen.

 Sun definitely had more of a reason to camp out at that arcade now, and he ran a list of chores he could do at home that would help him get out of the door that much faster.

 

   


	2. Chapter 2

The day couldn’t possibly have dragged on for longer, Neptune thought as he stuffed his school supplies back within his locker and headed for the nearest stairwell. He had quite a nice routine going for the past couple years, and there hadn’t been much alteration in it until he went out the doors and noticed someone he found himself surprisingly pleased to see.

 “Heya, Sun.” He called, waving at the blond across the street. He was walking alongside his bike, and his face lit up at the sound of his own name. He glanced both ways quickly, before meeting up with the taller male.

 “What’s up?” Sun asked, a smile on his lips. He hoped he hadn’t seemed too weird in his rush over here, but he reassured himself that he was simply over-thinking it.

 “Heading to the arcade for opening, since that’s _my_ job today,” Neptune sighed. “What about you? Am I coaching you today?” The charismatic manager delivered a quick wink, looking back once he had noticed that Sun’s pace had stopped and then started once again.

 “U--Uh, yeah! I just have to stop home first, okay?” Sun tried to control his tone, but having Neptune wink at him made him want to grin and he knew if he started he’d never stop. That surely wouldn’t be good for his little predicament. Clearly, the blond needed much work in the arts of subtlety.

 The pair parted ways, and Neptune found himself glancing at the door every-so-often in his conversations with Weiss over the ticket counter that ultimately led nowhere.

 “Looking for someone?” She asked, a trace of offense in her voice as though she actually cared. Neptune learned long ago that any ounce of mutual attraction Weiss would display was just to get under his skin and make her future rejection hurt even more. She was talented in that way.

 “Er, yeah… Remember that guy I was playing with yesterday? I’m supposed to be coaching him more today, but he hasn’t shown--” Neptune nearly choked mid-sentence at the sight of familiar blond locks. “Seeya, Weiss!”

 “Whatever…” The girl replied, fiddling with her nails until another customer approached, either asking for a prize that was out of their ticket range, or her phone number.

 “Sorry I’m late, Neptune… Mom held me up at home with some stuff…” Sun’s frown seemed so out of place, and as though he could sense it, the blond threw out another smile just to make Neptune feel more comfortable.

 “No problem, Sun… Uh--” Neptune scowled, realizing that his favorite machine, the Throne of his Kingdom, was currently occupied by two young kids. “Guess I can’t coach you, after all…”

 Sun took in a deep breath, not wanting to miss the chance to spend more time with the boy. His eyes darted to one of his favorite machines, the glowing arrows on the footpad causing him to forget every ounce of stress he had gained at home.

 “Oh, _no_.” Neptune spoke, following Sun’s eyes to the dreaded machine. “I’m terrible at that game, there is not a snowball’s chance in he--”

 “Pleeease?” Sun pleaded, tugging on the taller male’s sleeve lightly until he made a swift dash to the machine, jumping onto the pad like it belonged to him. “I fought on your turf, and now it’s time you tried out mine.”

 Neptune appreciated the challenge, and a fire roared in his gut that even his ocean blue eyes nor hair couldn’t extinguish. “You’re on.” He stepped onto the other pad, feet close together in the center as he was unsure of his stance.

 “Wider,” Sun instructed, pointing down to his own feet. “Keep both feet on the left and right arrows, and then shift as necessary. Always keep your feet on the arrows, it’ll help your flow.”

 “I don’t know about this…” Neptune grimaced, but he followed Sun’s instructions and felt his heart jump when the boy inserted tokens for the both of them.

 “We’ll start slow,” Sun called as his feet tapped swiftly to select a song. The song was full of energy, yet held a tempo that was manageable to say the least. The blond had practically memorized the choreography already, so his eyes darted to Neptune’s feet more often than the screen in order to keep track of what he could be doing wrong.

 “It’s like your fighting commands, dude,” Sun explained. “Only reach for the left and down arrows with your left foot, and other two with your right foot. Get me?”

 Surprisingly, the taller male did. He still had trouble following the timing, but for the most part he was entering the correct inputs. His rhythm and timing needed a lot of work, but he found himself having quite a bit of fun. In fact, he had more fun just watching Sun more than anything. The blond was clearly in his element, and watching that smile grow as his combo score rose was surely more entertaining than any A ranking.

 “Well, you’re not terrible.” Sun teased, happy to hear Neptune laughing with him.

“Next time we fight, I am so not going easy on you.” Neptune replied, stepping off of the dance pad with beads of sweat dripping from his face. He wiped his sleeve across his forehead, meanwhile, Sun looked as though he had just finished a leisurely stroll rather than the marathon that Neptune had apparently ran.

 “Promise?”

* * *

 

 

Neptune walked in through his front door, a grin lingering on his face that quickly fell once he noticed the woman asleep on the couch. A bottle of wine sat on the nearby table, and a glass remained half full. The boy frowned, walking over to grab the blanket that was draped over the back of the reclining chair and spreading it carefully over his sleeping mother. He had briefly gotten his hopes up with ideas of sharing stories of all the fun he had with Sun today, and Neptune scolded himself for letting that happen. The boy shuffled upstairs to his room, suddenly feeling the aches in his legs from dancing with Sun all day. He nearly tripped over the last step, cursing internally.

He drifted off to sleep with visions of the blond boy's smile in his head and heart. Neptune was too tired to question it.

At the ring of his alarm, Neptune found himself pulling on a tee-shirt and button-up. His fingers clumsily buttoned it halfway, all-the-while his mind was too distracted thinking about whether or not he should get Sun's phone number. He never managed to get Weiss', no matter how smooth of a talker he considered himself. Then again, getting Sun's number would be nowhere near the same thing. He was becoming fast friends with the guy, and it just made sense to be able to text and make further plans to hang out. Yet, no matter how often Neptune ran this explanation within his mind, he still found himself having doubts about it's validity. There was a trace of nervousness in his heart, the origins of which he wasn't prepared to get to the bottom of.

He abandoned his train of thought by stumbling downstairs, drowsiness in his steps that threw off his footwork. He stumbled almost as badly as he had the day prior, trying to learn how to dance and keep up with a master at the same time. Neptune hadn't felt that worked out in months, and he made a mental note to do something to fix that. Hell, that must be what kept Sun in such good shape. The boy shook _that_ thought from his head at the approach of his mother, now thoroughly sober, as she planted a faint kiss upon his forehead.

"Have a good day at school, sweetie." She called, turning from him almost immediately to sit at the kitchen table with her laptop. He opened his mouth to speak, but promptly shut it.

"I will. Love you..." Neptune called behind him as he swung his bag over his shoulder and set through the front door, making doubly-sure that he locked it on the way out. The thought crossed his mind to ask Sun the next time he saw him if they went to the same school or not. He nearly slapped a palm to his forehead, unable to believe he hadn't thought about it until now, and yet, he had no memory of ever seeing the boy at his school before.

The King of the Arcade spent his day at school distant and wondering how exactly he would ask for Sun's number, and then he began to hope that Sun even _had_ a cell phone. His mind drifted to his Kingdom, the place where he met the boy he couldn't take his mind off of.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Sun Wukong couldn't have been more obvious in his squirming attempts to get out of the house, and after completing the long list of chores that were dumped onto him by his father, he hopped on his bike and got out of there as quick as he could before somebody could change their mind.

Naturally, the boy pedaled the familiar route to his favorite arcade, his grin widening at the thought of seeing Neptune. They hadn't seen each other over the weekend, and since all the school's in the district were closed today, he figured there was a pretty good chance of the boy being there. However, when he wandered into the familiar zone and let his gray eyes wander, there was no splash of blue to highlight his vision. No echoes of the smooth, friendly voice that could make him laugh over the stupidest of jokes. His eyes did however catch snowy white hair, and he approached the counter to ask the girl if she knew when Neptune would be here.

He had seen her and Neptune talking a few days ago before he walked in, so maybe they were friends?

"Hey, uh-- Do you know where Neptune is?" Sun asked, clearing his throat.

The girl put down her magazine, a scoff highlighting her words, "No, and why would I? All that boy does is hit on me and get shot down, I don't keep a record of him." She rubbed at her neck, clearly irritated from work.

Sun's face fell at the mention of Neptune flirting with this girl, and he wondered if that were in fact pangs of jealously that he was beginning to feel. Of course, he knew it was unwarranted, and he supposed he should have entertained the notion long before now that Neptune wouldn't be anything other than straight. "I see... Uh, sorry to bug you..."

The blond nearly turned to walk away when Weiss hummed in annoyance to grab his attention once more. "What's with the sad puppy look all of a sudden?" Her head cocked, she seemed to be in thought when her mouth suddenly dropped to form a small O. "You _like_ him, don't you?" She quietly asked, seeming rather entertained by the notion.

Sun's eyes widened, and the redness of his face seemed to answer her question before he could pipe up to deny it. "N--No!"

"Who are you convincing here? Me or you?" The girl asked coyly, before she tapped her nails upon the counter. "Look, _I don't care_. I've got my own problems to worry about, and your little crush doesn't concern me. Neptune probably won't be coming in today, alright? I believe his father is visiting."

Sun's eyes looked up from their trained spot on the floor as he really absorbed what Weiss was saying. He had no prior idea that Neptune's family was split up, but he supposed he understood now why Neptune seemed to get his need to escape to this arcade as often as he could. Family was tough.

"Oh, alright... Thanks, uh--" The blond drew a blank, not knowing the girl's name and now feeling a little too scared of her to actually ask.

"It's Weiss. _Schnee_ ," She added with emphasis. "As in, daughter of a powerful business man who owns three supermarkets in this town." The girl rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, my father believes that me getting some _genuine work experience_ would be good for me, and as much as I hate to admit it, he's probably right. But since he's trying to  _broaden our companies' horizons_ , I get stuck working here, getting hit on by every pizza faced teenage boy with money for a token."

Sun was at a loss for what to say to that, although he did sort of feel bad for the girl. She was cold, but she wasn't blabbing to everyone about his crush on Neptune, and for that he was at least grateful. Perhaps a tiny piece of him was rejoicing in the fact that she seemed to hate Neptune's guts, which surely boosted his own chances.

"Although, I must say... Of all the gravel that flirts with me here, Neptune _is_ certainly the best catch." Weiss admitted, purely to see Sun's reaction. The blond frowned. " _I'm just teasing you_. I'll admit, he's attractive, but I've got my eyes set on someone else."

Sun followed the girl's gaze, and was surprised to see it land upon a petite girl with vibrant red hair sitting behind the wheel of a racing simulator. Judging by the crowd around her, she must be pretty good. Perhaps Weiss understood his struggle a little better than he had thought...

"So, you have your problems and I have mine." Sun announced, nodding his head as though to confirm it to himself.

"Precisely. Best of luck to both of us..." Weiss huffed, "Now go on, I've got geeks to attend to."

* * *

 

 Sun's ride back home was painstakingly slow, and he'd have gone anywhere else if he could simply think of a destination. However, he found his tires meeting the dirt of his front lawn, and the booming voice of his father called him inside from the window. The boy wasn't surprised, and in fact this was why he tried to stay out for as long as he could manage, since there wasn't any way for them to call him back. His parents were too cheap to give him a cell phone, a luxury granted to his two siblings. As he shuffled in the door to hear his list of chores, he ran through his head all the things he could have done in his life to make his parents appear to hate him so much. Sun couldn't recall anything, but he started to think that the hostility started around the same time he realized he was different from a lot of the boys his age, which must have been when he was fourteen.

He was seventeen years old now, and that same realization now kept him wanting more and more of Neptune's company. He'd never fallen for a guy like this before, but he had experienced passing thoughts. His eyes would glue to other boys without him realizing it, so he had to be extra careful to keep his gaze in check. Then again, none of his other friends had given him the warm feelings that Neptune gave. Sun had never felt a legitimate crush before, and it was exhilarating as much as it was terrifying. He didn't dare think of what his parents would do if they were to find out. 

Then again, what could they find out about? It's unlikely anything would happen between them. As much as Sun could dream, Neptune would never love him. Neptune would never hold his hand or kiss his cheek or get warm feelings in his chest at the thought of Sun's smile. He would never have this unbreakable bond that made everything else seem so insignificant or know what it felt like to have someone look past all your flaws and see only beauty.

Neptune would never be Sun's knight in shining armor. Neptune was a King, and Sun was merely a peasant boy who couldn't keep his heart in check. As Sun stood in the kitchen scrubbing away at dirty dishes, he found himself wondering how Neptune was doing. He wondered if his visit with his father was a pleasant thing or if it only brought him pain. The boy wished he could do something to find out, because right now, all he wanted in the world was to know that Neptune Vasilias was safe and happy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: Mentions of abuse are made in this chapter, and this is a theme that will remain until the conclusion of the story. There will be no graphic depictions of said abuse.

It wasn't like Neptune to skip his classes, but he just couldn't force himself to walk into that building. Not today. Memories of the day he spent with his dad yesterday were fresh in his mind, and although he had a great time and loved his dad very much, the heartache he would get the day afterwards was always inevitable, and just another part of Neptune's routines.

His legs swung from the opening of a grand tree house, his special place in this town for years now. It was built in the yard of a house that had been for sale for as long as the boy could remember, although he had no idea why the property had never been sold. Secretly, he was grateful for this fact, since it provided him with a place to go when he needed to be alone. This tree house had been his sanctuary since before his precious arcade had even opened. In fact, prior to the opening of that arcade and himself being hired, he spent the majority of his time alone. It wasn't that he was bad with company, he just had this lingering feeling within that he didn't quite belong.

The arcade made him feel safe. The company was nice, though he admittedly didn't take the time to connect with many people his own age. He had probably spent more time with Sun than he had spent with anyone since he was a child. But back then, his parents were still together, and life was a very different existence entirely.

Neptune pulled out his cell phone, checking the time displayed at the top of the screen. He laid back upon the wooden floor, legs still dangling over the entrance and perched upon the top rung of the ladder. He would have to kill some time until schools closed and it was time for his shift. He sat up, which he felt took entirely too much effort to do. The boy wished he could talk to Sun, since he clearly had some feelings to work out regarding the blond. They hadn't seen each other since last Thursday, and it was now a very dull Tuesday.

Thankfully, time ticked by lots faster when you were passed out asleep in a cramped tree house, and although groaning from the aches in his back, Neptune was grateful that it was now less than thirty minutes to his shift. He climbed down the tree house ladder, getting halfway until he decided to just leap the rest of the way down. He landed on his feet carefully before entering a full sprint. Weiss was just now stepping out from her car when he reached the pavement of the parking lot.

"Hey, Snow Angel." Neptune called absentmindedly. He normally uttered the nickname with a more flirtatious tone, but oddly enough, found himself unable to produce it at the moment.

"I've told you not to call me that," Weiss replied, with a roll of her eyes. Even so, she held the door open for the tall male as she stepped into the cool air of the arcade. Thank goodness for those newly installed air conditioners. "You know, your boyfriend came looking for you the other day."

Neptune sputtered, unsure of who she meant until it suddenly clicked. "Sun? Sun's not my-- He's just-- He did?" Neptune cocked his head, deciding to skip over the part where he denied that Sun and he were in a relationship, which they weren't, and instead get to the bottom of why the blond was here.

"Yeah. I told him you weren't working that day," Weiss explained, walking behind her counter and holding her breath before she continued speaking. "I sort of... explained why, also. Sorry, it didn't occur to me to keep that information personal." Her tone was genuinely apologetic, which took Neptune by surprise more-so than the confession.

"It's fine, that doesn't bother me. Sun and I kinda get each other on the whole family troubles thing, anyway..." Neptune shrugged, elbows on the counter.

"That makes three of us, then..." Weiss replied with a sigh, pulling a magazine from under her chair and beginning to read. "People should be arriving any minute now, and the boss wanted you to place those signs over there on the broken machines."

Neptune nodded, took a deep breath, and got straight to work. Fortunately, he had managed to zone out in just the right way so that he had finished his work before he had even begun to groan over it, and with his time now being freed he found himself stepping upon the neon dance pad that had given him so much trouble in the company of Sun, and Neptune was now determined to practice. In fact, he had managed to nearly double his score from last time, but he couldn’t quite feel proud of himself with the sweat and exhaustion from that one song sticking to him like glue. He was surprised to hear the sound of clapping behind him, and he turned to see Sun Wukong standing behind him.

“I managed to get out a little early…” Sun grinned cheekily, and Neptune huffed as he urged his lungs to do him a minor favor and cooperate.

“Could we hang out somewhere else for a bit? I need some fresh air…” The boy rubbed his neck sheepishly as though he expected a rejection, but was instead met with Sun's hand on his back, urging him out the arcade doors.

Neptune lightly pushed Sun away, holding up a finger for the boy to wait. He ran over to where Weiss was standing beyond the ticket counter. “Can you cover for me for a bit? I want to get some fresh air with Sun.”

Weiss was about to give Neptune a few choice words that should never be spoken in the company of children until she noticed the pleading looks that Sun was delivering her in the background, and as though her heart had thawed for a few moments, she sighed. “Alright, but you had better hurry. You two owe me.”

The pair began to walk once they got out the door, Neptune rejoicing in the cool gusts hitting his face. “I have a place in mind…” He muttered, watching the eagerness appear on Sun’s face.

The walk wasn’t long, and Neptune found himself worried that Sun would be disappointed with the tree house before them, but the blond instead looked just as excited as usual, and Neptune caught himself wondering, perhaps hoping, if that had anything to do with him.

Sun started up on the ladder, and Neptune waited for him to be settled at the top before climbing himself. They squeezed next to each other, legs dangling from the entrance. Neptune enjoyed the closeness, which thankfully wasn’t too cramped but just cramped enough for Sun’s hand to brush against Neptune’s every once in awhile. Whenever it happened one of them would just subtly move until Sun grew a bit more daring and let his hand linger, clearly not bothering to budge it unless Neptune did. The blond reveled in his own personal victory with a smile that Neptune returned without understanding the true meaning of.

“It’s beautiful,” Sun remarked, his eyes darting between the view outside and his company. The wind had picked up, and the rustling of leaves sounded like music that helped to slow the thumping of Sun’s heart. “Nep, can I ask you something?”

Neptune turned to face the boy, his head cocked first in question of the nickname, and then in curiosity of what the blond wanted to ask. Sun cleared his throat, and he shifted so that Neptune’s hand was no longer on top of his.

“Weiss told me where you were the other day,” Sun swallowed, hoping he wasn’t being rude or too forward. “I just wanted to ask was it-- Is it-- Are you doing okay?”

Neptune was taken slightly off-guard, but he appreciated the genuine concern and sincerity in Sun’s voice. So much, so, that he managed to clear his throat in order to speak and gently shift his hand to be touching Sun’s again all in one swift motion.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Neptune started, biting his inner cheek lightly. “I love my dad, and I love my mom… It’s just hard for me sometimes not to wish they were still…” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to say _together_ or _in love_ , realizing all in one moment the crippling implications that you could be one without the other.

“It might not mean much,” Sun started, wanting to look into Neptune’s eyes but avoiding them as though he were afraid. “But I’m always here for you if you need to talk…”

Neptune felt Sun’s fingers clasp between his, an action that destroyed the imaginary veil the two had put up, making them both acknowledge that they were in fact holding hands, and it was not an accident.

“You know that you can rely on me, too, right?” Neptune asked, his legs had stopped swinging and Sun’s rhythm was disrupted shortly afterward. “I’m not sure how things are at home for you, but you’ve got me.”

“I… I don’t think my parents care about me too much anymore.” Sun admitted aloud, head hanging, and his grip on Neptune’s hand loosening but not dissipating. “All I seem to do is make them mad, and I think they can’t wait for me to get out of the house.”

Neptune wasn’t sure how to respond, and he wished he could make Sun feel better as easily as a combo chain input. But people didn’t have cheat codes, and Neptune would have to become better acquainted with the intricacies of undiluted human interaction. His blue eyes searched Sun as the blond began to pick at the band-aids hugging his skin.

“Sun, do they hurt you?”

The boy stopped in his tracks, and Neptune wanted to smack himself for dealing with that in perhaps the most clumsy way among hundreds of possible interactions between them.

“God, Sun, I’m so sorry that was--” Neptune was about to apologize for sticking his own foot in his mouth before he was interrupted and felt the chill of wind across his now bare hand, still clammy from holding Sun’s.

“It’s happened, before…” Sun’s body language became very stiff, and as much as Neptune wanted to reach out and give him a comforting touch or perhaps grab his hand once more, he was more afraid of the blond possibly pulling away. An action that was understandable in this moment, but would surely feel like a knife in the heart.

“I shouldn’t have asked, you don’t have to talk about it if you don't…” Neptune’s breathing sped a bit, himself beginning to panic at how he was very quickly messing this up. “I just wanted to tell you that I’d be here for you, okay? I want you to be safe and happy and not hurt and I totally messed up and I’m totally a bad friend.”

The blue-haired boy began to ramble, and surprisingly, it actually helped Sun to regain his composure slightly. He couldn’t help but find Neptune’s mannerisms to be a bit cute, though the last word of his sentence left a bad taste in Sun’s mouth similar to drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth.

“Are we friends?” Sun asked, glancing to where their hands had touched and melded moments ago and wondering if it were possible to rewind time and never say something one regretted. “I mean, uh-- Obviously we are, I just meant…”

“I know what you mean.” Neptune smiled at the blond, reaching to grab the hand that was anxiously picking at the skin of the other. “I like you a lot, but I’ve never felt this way about another guy before…”

“It can be pretty confusing.” Sun admitted, his thumb dancing lightly across the skin of Neptune’s palm. “Dad started to hate me when he found out.”

“Sun, if you’re not safe at home then you can always come over to mine,” Neptune felt his face heat up. “I mean, my mom barely pays attention so she wouldn’t notice if you spent the night, and that way I’d know you were safe.”

“I might just take you up on that sometime, Nep.” Sun grinned, and Neptune checked the time on his cell phone and nearly dropped it.

“Shit! Weiss is going to kill me!” Neptune turned to grab the ladder, releasing one hand from the rungs to urge Sun to follow. “Sorry, we can talk more later but I’ve got work and--”

“Dude, I got it.” Sun laughed, waiting for Neptune to make it all the way down before climbing himself.

Neptune held the rusty gate that connected the backyard with the tree house to the unkempt front yard open for Sun to walk to, closing it behind him. The two boys made their way to the street, Neptune resisting the urge to wave goodbye to the for sale sign in the front yard like he did when he was younger.

“Weiss thought you were my boyfriend this morning.” Neptune spoke out of the blue, catching Sun by surprise as made apparent by the heat of his ears.

“Was she wrong?” Sun winked, and Neptune shot him a glare before they reached the stop sign where they would have to part ways for Neptune to get back to work and Sun to return home.

“I don’t know, was she?” Neptune asked cheekily, waving goodbye to the blond and feeling his heart surf the wave of nerves inside. He hoped Sun came to the right conclusion of his stupid question in an attempt to be suave or something.

The answer was yes, assuming Sun was okay with it. Sun Wukong was definitely his boyfriend. That was certainly a big change in Neptune’s life, and he wondered if Weiss would be the type to forgive his lateness after hearing the story of the wonderful time he had with Sun and the news that the two were definitely more than just friends. Of course, he knew in his gut that Weiss wouldn’t care.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [This is a short chapter, but I wanted to update just to show that I am actively trying to work on this fic again! Thanks so much for the support that I've already gotten, and I hope people continue to enjoy what I write!]

Sun decided he would torment Neptune the next time they crossed paths by not directly giving him an answer to his question, rather, he would toy with the boy by lingering closer than usual whenever the opportunity presented itself. That wasn't all, however, because the blond would also flirt with the boy through a large use of innuendo. Neptune couldn't help but play along, and it seemed the two of them had entered this stalemate of flirting, before one of them would make the first move and formally ask the other out. It became like a game, and one they both had infinitely more fun playing than anything in their precious arcade. A game they played for the next week, and neither could keep score anymore.

Sun still challenged Neptune every once in awhile, hoping to learn as much as he could about fighting games so he could more fully enjoy his possibly-soon-to-be-boyfriend's favorite hobby. In fact, he managed to surprise the boy quite a bit with just how quickly he was getting better, though he still never managed to win. The losses were close, but they were still losses. Sun would exact revenge at this fact by dancing the blue-haired dork half to death, often remarking that he sort of enjoyed seeing him so breathless and quietly suggesting that he may know other ways of achieving the same result.

Neptune blushed around Sun a lot.

Both boys hadn't brought up their conversation in the tree house since, though they both appreciated it. Opening up had been difficult, but it was nice trusting someone with such personal matters. Although, Neptune was still adamant about Sun spending the night at his place, as innocent of a suggestion as it was, he couldn't help but think that the privacy of his room would give him a perfect opportunity to kiss Sun. The thought generally kept him going, as though on auto-pilot, as he finished his daily tasks at the arcade so he would have free time to discuss it with Sun further. The blond seemed mostly worried about how he would either sneak out of his home or get permission. Though, he'd probably only open old cans of worms if he mentioned staying at another boy's house.

For this reason, Sun Wukong decided that tonight he would sneak out, but in the meantime, he would enjoy every moment he spent with Neptune as he steadily gathered the courage he would need. So, when he tapped on the taller boy's shoulder as he was fishing eaten coins from a malfunctioning machine for a small boy, Sun merely gave a zealous nod and a smile and Neptune knew exactly what he meant. Neptune gave the handful of change to the boy, politely shooing him off as he turned around to give Sun a grin. This was his chance. He could officially ask Sun to be his, and as long as he didn't mess it up, it would be perfect.

* * *

Darkness had just broke out across the sky, looking much like someone had just washed a coated paintbrush. Neptune called out a bit early, and through text had alerted his mother that he would definitely be home in time for dinner. For a moment, he thought this could be his optimal chance to introduce her to Sun, be it as his boyfriend if things went well, or simply as a good friend of his, but a sting shot through his chest as he read the message stating that his mother was a little tired and would be heading off to sleep, leaving the rest of the home cooked meal out for him to eat when he got there. Struggling to remain positive, Neptune coached himself that this would give him more time with Sun, without having to deal with any of his mother's eventual questions about him. He looked up from his phone, and noticed Sun's gaze pointed down the street.

"You okay?" Neptune inquired, sliding his phone back within his pocket. The blond's distractedness didn't sit well within his gut, and he began to fear that Sun were getting second thoughts. 

"Hm?" Sun whipped around, blinking rapidly. "Yeah, I'm fine! Excited, actually, I just started thinking..." He bit at his bottom lip, searching for his words. Neptune couldn't help but notice the heat appearing around his ears. "Your mom isn't going to know that I'm over, so I have to stay in your room, so, am I sleeping on the floor, or...?"

Neptune had to admit that he hadn't given it much thought, but before he could finish putting together his answer, Sun seemed to have mistook his silence as him being displeased.

"Not that I'm not okay with that! Like, you're letting me stay over and I appreciate it, I just don't know if I'm on the floor, or if I'm sleeping with you-- Which I wouldn't mind! But, uh-- You might not want to share-- _Shit_ , none of this is coming out right..." Sun stammered, and as cute as Neptune found it, he cut in to prevent the boy from struggling any further.

" _Sun_." Neptune called, waiting until the boy's eyes were locked firmly on his and his breathing had returned to average human levels. "Please relax, okay? I'm okay with whatever sleeping arrangements we make, alright? I'm just happy you're coming over." He gave his most genuine smile, hoping to ease the boy's thumping heart. "And for the record, I wouldn't mind sharing with you." Neptune gave a wink, in standard accordance to their rampant flirting recently, and turned to walk towards home just after getting a quick glimpse of Sun's perfect, beautiful, positively _stunned_ face.

"I'll wait on your street a couple houses down for you, in say, an hour? Just like we did that one time." Neptune called behind him, and as Sun yelled his excited agreement back, he felt his chest tighten and a smile grow on his face. 

 

If all went well, Sun Wukong could be his boyfriend by morning. 

* * *

 

 


End file.
